Piercings at St. John’s

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body modification, Body piercings, ear piercing, eyebrow piercing, facial piercings, gauging, Indian culture, New York, nose piercing, SJU, St. John's University, St. John's University Queens Campus, STJ, stretched ears

Many of the students on the St. John’s University Queens campus have body piercings. Each of them have their own reasons and stories behind their piercings.

Gargi Pathak | Senior | Business Major | Nose (Nostril) Piercing 

Taken by Gargi Pathak

“Ever since I was little, I was always crazy about getting a nose piercing. Well, for the most obvious reason…I thought it was the most beautiful thing on a girl. An Indian bride is always decked out from head to toe with jewelry, fancy dress and henna, but my attention was on the big beautiful nose rings that they were adorned with. As I grew older, my mom explained to me why our region of North Indians of Indian women also get their nose pierced. It is believed that when you get your nose pierced on the left side of your nose, Ayurvedically, it will be beneficial to when the woman is ready to give birth. When I found out, I thought I was cool information whether I believed in it or not. I was just excited to get one, so one day, I just got up and got my nose pierced! And I’m very happy with it!”

Michael Wright |Senior | Pyschology Major with a Sociology Minor | Stretched Ear Lobes

 “I saw some people with it and I just thought it looked cool. I know some people didn’t like it and would judge people and whatever but I was just like ‘f- that’ and do what I want. So, I did it. It’s a very time consuming but patient learning process. In January it will be a year. Some people rush it but I feel like if you rush the process of it, you know if you don’t take care of it and take care of your actual ears, there’s no point in doing it. The longer you take the better they look. A healthy ear- it wouldn’t stink, there’s nothing in my ears. Everyday I put aloe butter on it so they won’t get thin and dry out. There’s no blow out portions, scars, nothing.”

Stefani Castorena | Sophomore | Legal Studies Major with a Creative Writing Minor | Multiple Facial Piercings

“Ears are socially acceptable. So they don’t have as much meaning as the other piercings do. I pierced all of the ones on my ears. I pierced most of those by myself. I like going beyond what’s socially acceptable which is why I’m just starting out with the ears. That’s why I have so many on my ears. They’re gauged [stretched] a little bit but that’s because I started that when I got with the boyfriend that I’m with right now. We started doing them together.

“On my face, when I was 10-years-old I had a brother that was 17 and he died. He had his nose pierced when he was 15. So my mom told me that when I was 15 I could get my nose pierced exactly like him in remembrance of him. That was the first piercing I got on my face.

“I guess the other piercings, they represent a different stage in my life. I got my lip pierced right after that- that was the next one on my face and that was when I turned 18. That was the first adult decision I ever made.

“I’m from California and I came to New York for college. That’s when I got my eyebrow pierced. And that was just like a new place, a new stage in my life, something new.”

Body Piercing for Sexual Gratification (18+)

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18+, BDSM, body modifi, body piercing, Elayne Angel, Fourchette, Gauntlet Enterprises, genital piercing, homosexual, JIm Ward, Lorum, S&M, Strange Sex, The Gauntlet, TLC, Triangle Piercing

Body piercing can be done for a number of reasons. Many people choose to get pierced for the way it can effect their sex lives. Nipple and genital piercings are very popular for this reason.

The first studio exclusively for body piercing named The Gauntlet was opened in 1971 as Gauntlet Enterprises. The Business owner, Jim Ward, is credited with bringing body piercing into the mainstream world. The first of the businesses’ clientele consisted of gay males of the S&M scene of Northern California.

Since then, not only the love of body piercings grown in this country, but so has the love for genital piercings.

Self-proclaimed master piercer Elayne Angel specializes in genital piercings and she is credited with the creation and popularization of female genital piercings such as the Fourchette and the Triangle and male genital piercings like the Lorum. She was even featured on TLC’s show Strange Sex about this topic.

While genital piercings can be for sexual pleasure, this is not always the case. People can get any piercing as long as they are anatomically suited for it for any reason.

On an episode of The Modified World, a client came in for genital work and stated that her piercings give her control over her body after a negative sexual past.

The Modified World

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Ann Arbor, body jewelry, body modification, cheek piercing, cross contamination, discrimination, ear piercing, genital piercing, Harrison Ford, homosexuality, J.C. Potts, jimmy Fallon, manvel, Michigan, nipple piercing, nipple piercings, Pangea, Pangea Piercing, piercing techniques, The Modified World, The Tonight Show, Youtube, Youtube channel

The Modified World is a weekly web show hosted by J.C. Potts – senior piercer at Pangea Piercing in Ann Arbor, Michigan- and its piercing staff. It aims to educate and the public by providing helpful information about different aspects of the piercing profession.

The Youtube channel began in May of 2011 and currently, a new episode of the show is uploaded every Monday. Topics covered on the show include different kinds of piercings including, cheek, genital and nipple piercings, types of body jewelry, discrimination against people who choose to modify their bodies, interviews with other body modification artists, Pangea Piercing staff profiles, and more.

Potts has stated that he started the web series as a way to present correct piercing information on a platform that that continuously spreads misinformation. He states “I saw a need and answered it”. Before his videos, there was not a well-known professional voice speaking about this. Any videos about piercings on Youtube were basically just people talking about their experience as clients and what “works [worked] for them”.

Potts also uses the space to speak out on issues considering the modification community. In November of last year, comedians Jimmy Fallon and Harrison Ford pierced Fallon’s ear as a part of a skit on The Tonight Show. The duo jokes around as Fallon says he’s scared to have his ear pierced for the first time. Ford, who pierces Fallon’s ear, even takes a shot of alcohol beforehand. Potts made a video response to the skit stated that he had “a lot of issues with what was portrayed [in the video]”. These include:

• Everything was cross contaminated.
• The ear was not draped to protect it.
• The ear was pierced at an incorrect angle.
• Potts disliked the fact that Harrison said “left is right” when helping Fallon decide which ear to pierce. This goes back to the old idea that getting your right ear pierced as a male is a sign of homosexuality. Potts looks at this as homophobia and shaming of gay people.

Other videos speaking out on social issues include one where Kenny, a piercer at Pangea pierces a male’s navel and discusses how a man getting this piercing, sometimes called a manvel, won’t make him gay.

 

 

Piercing Bumps

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A.J. Goldman, aftercare, association of professional piercers, body piercing, ear infection, infection, keloid, piercing bump, piercing gun, piercing irritation, piercings, professional body jewelry, self piercing

Bumps around a piercing can happen at any time for a number of reasons:

• Physical Trauma: This is the more obvious one. If you’re getting your healing piercing knocked around, it’s going to cause problems with the piercing and healing process. This is also true if the piercing is healed. It could bruise and damage the fistula (piercing hole).
• Bad aftercare: Aftercare is a very important factor considering that many people have different ways of healing their piercings. Chemical products and soaps can irritate piercings.
• Bad angles: Certain piercings have to be preformed at certain angles otherwise the jewelry puts pressure on the piercing that can cause irritation. This is why it is important to take time finding a piercer, not using piercing guns, and not self piercing.
• Quality of the Jewelry: Body jewelry that does not meet industry standards has a chance of damaging the piercing. Also, even if your jewelry is at those standards, be sure that it is not damaged.

APP member has a video explaining this issue and some of the more common causes of irritation bumps on Youtube:

It is important to keep in mind:

• It’s probably not a keloid. According to Medline Plus, a keloid is a “growth of excess scar tissue. Irritated skin from a piercing is not a keloid.
• It’s probably not an infection. Infections are serious medical issues that need to be looked at as soon as possible. Signs of an infection include discharge, heat, and swelling.

Don’t Get Pierced With a Gun

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Adelaide, app, auricular chondritis, Channel 10 News of Australia, Claires, ear infection, guns, Modify Body Piercing, piercing gun, Piercing Pagoda, Queens Center Mall, The Association of Professional Piercers, US National Institutes of Health

Claires location in Queens Center Mall

It has been seen consistently in the media that piercing guns are bad for you. Many popular places that  use this method of piercing include in national chains such as Claire’s and Piercing Pagoda and mall kiosks.

Piercing guns work by stabbing the person being pierced with an earring. Piercing guns are spring-loaded. When the trigger of the piercing gun is squeezed, it causes the spring to blast the back of the earring forward. This means that a blunt object is tearing through skin and if you’re getting cartilage pierced, the jewelry has the possibility to shatter the bone. In addition, with these stores getting such high foot traffic, it would be almost impossible to maintain a sterile environment that can lead to more health risks.

The APP states that anyone who uses a piercing gun cannot be seen as a professional. Guns can cause “significant tissue damage” as they tear through the skin and cartilage. Reusable guns are even worse because they cannot be sterilized so even if a gun is wiped down, there are components of it that will house tissue from previous uses. The U.S. National Institutes of Heath furthered this by stating that in a survey used to understand what methods of piercing lead to infection, it was discovered that piercing methods used in malls “predisposed to auricular chondritis”, a severe disease of the ear.

Channel 10 News of Australia has done a news piece on the dangers of piercing guns as well. This video features Modify Body Piercing of Adelaide, Australia that deeply cares about it’s clients.

Picking A Piercer

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app, association of professional piercers, body modification, body piercing, Brooklyn, Elite Body Piercing, Jewels 32, Manhattan, Nassau, New York Adorned, NYC, piercings, Pure Body Arts, Sacred Tattoo, St. Marks, Suffolk, Superstition Tattoo, The End Is Near

In a big city, there are always those looking to make money at any cost and while we’d all love to think that piercers have our best interests at heart, but it really does take time to find a true professional.

To start with, the Association of Professional Piercers (APP) has a “find a piercer” page on their website where people can type in their ZIP code and find APP members in their area. However, keep in mind that this organization focuses on spreading proper health and safety information. Each member will have their preferred piercing techniques, aftercare suggestions, jewelry options, etc. so independent research is still important.

When looking for a piercer, the piercer’s portfolio is always important. When going through their portfolio there are a few things to look for such as piercings that are correctly placed and don’t have scarring.

Always make sure the jewelry is made of industry standard materials and make sure their autoclave, which is the device that is used to sterilize the jewelry and piercing tools, working properly. Cody Vaughn, of Vaughn Body Arts has shown a copy of his shop’s autoclave spore test results for clarification. Other qualities of a reputable piercer and shop include a clean and sterile piercing environment, making sure the piercer gives proper piercing aftercare, and making sure the shop and piercer are licensed.

Unfortunately, there are no APP members in NYC but there are a few shops that meet APP standards:

The End is Near (Brooklyn, NY)

Taken by The End Is Near

New York Adorned (Manhattan, NY)

Maria Tash (Manhattan, NY)

Pure Body Arts/Sacred Tattoo (Manhattan, NY)

Self Piercing

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Ann Arbor, apprentice, body jewelry, body modification, diy piercing, Hepatitis, home piercing, J.C. Potts, Michigan, MRSA, mystery metal, Online retailers, Pangea Piercing, piercing apprentice, professional grade body jewelry, professional piercing, professional piercings, self piercing, sterilization, The World Health Organization

Self piercings, also called DIY piercings or home piercings are piercings done at home usually by a non-professionals. Under every circumstance, except when professional piercer pierces themselves, the act of piercing oneself is illegal in NYS.

There are a number of reasons people give as to why they choose to pierce themselves including:

• It’s too expensive to pay a professional/I don’t want to have to pay.
• It’s more personal/meaningful to pierce yourself.
• There is no difference between going to a shop and piercing yourself if you do it “the right way”.
• I am underage and legally cannot get the piercing I want.

Every one of these points is false. True professionals have years of training with knowledge of the workings of the human body and its anatomy. They understand that true sterilizations processes cannot be performed by boiling the equipment or holding it over an open flame. They understand what angles to use and what can and cannot work for clients on an individual basis and more. J.C. Potts of Pangea Piercing in Ann Arbor, MI has stated that any piercing apprentice he has must train under him for two years and then work at Pangea for another two years.

According to the APP, autoclave sterilization is the “universal standard” in the body piercing industry. There are no harsh chemicals that could irritate the skin. This sterilization uses heated water. The steam from this water gets hot enough to kill germs and bacteria.

Self piercing isn’t just harmful to the person piercing themselves; it is harmful to the piercing industry as a whole. When someone pierces their body instead of going to a reputable establishment, they take a sale away from that piercer.

As mentioned in the “Online Retailers” post, professional shops have a number of regular expenses that allow them to work to their standards. This means jewelry prices and piercing fees need to be cohesive with these costs. Also, professional shops will only stock industry standard jewelry. While this jewelry doesn’t have to be expensive, it can be more expensive than “mystery metal” that can be bought at the mall.

Professional piercers also understand the proper methods of sterilization. The APP says that these at home methods won’t kill ” Hepatitis, MRSA, or any of the other scary stuff you need to worry about.” The World Health Organization states that Hepatitis B, C, and D are spread through contact with bodily fluids and needles that are not brand new and sterilized can put someone’s health at risk.

 

NYS Body Modification Laws

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A.J. Goldman, body modification, body piercing, Brooklyn, Department of Health, genital piercings, NYS, NYS laws, pets, Pure Body Arts, Ryan Ouellette, starr belew, surface piercings, tattooing pets

After a Brooklyn based tattoo artist tattooed their dog and outrage was seen across the Internet, a law was passed in New York State making the act of tattooing animals illegal. This is just one of the many laws and regulations put on body modification artists and studios in that help make body art a safer experience.

The state of New York requires that all body modification studios as well as individual piercers and artists have a permit from the Department of Health that allows them to perform any kind of body modification. This permit must also be on display for anyone to see.

Studios are also banned from piercing anyone under the age of 18 unless a parent or guardian accompany them. When under the legal age, both the person being pierced and the guardian must have valid forms of ID and a birth certificate showing their relationship.

Genital piercings are only legally performed on people who are 18 or older, but rules for other piercings vary on the shops and regulations of a certain area. For some shops, people need need to be at least 14 years old to get any facial piercings besides surface piercings. Then, around the age of 16, people can get navel and surface piercings that are not on the face. Ear lobes are ethically the only piercings that professionals will perform on children. Professionals A.J. Goldman and Ryan Ouelette have both stated they will only pierce a child’s earlobes if the child is capable of expressing that they want the piercings and if they will be able to care for them. Starr Belew of Pure Body Arts in Brooklyn agrees but added that the decision to pierce people. “It depends on the maturity level and the mentality of the client and how well they seem like they will be able to take care of the piercing.” However, for surface and facial piercings, she generally requires the client to be at least 18.

NYS has had a strained relationship with body modification in the past. For example, it was illegal to get a tattoo in the state between 1961 and 1997. More recently, in 2005 the Suffolk county Board of Health met in order to discuss the banning of certain body modifications from things such as permanent eye makeup to scarification. This included tongue, nipple, genital piercings and even nostril piercings which are considered more socially acceptable.

Online Retailers

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12 Oz. Studios, Anatometal, Ann Arbor, BAF, Body Art Forms, Body Candy, body jewelry, body modification, California, Cold Steel American Piercing and Tattoo, health and safety, Infinite Body, Michigan, mystery metal, Online retailers, online shopping, Pangea Piercing, Pennslyvania, Philadelphia, San Fransico, shopping, turquoise, yellow opal

Shopping online for body jewelry may seem quick and convinent, but this is one instance where it’s best to buy in person. It is possible to shop online, but that option is best left alone until there are no other options.

Online body jewelry retailers such as Body Art Forms and Body Candy undermine the professional piercing industry as a whole. BAF, as it is commonly known, sells low quality “mystery metal” jewelry right along with higher quality competitors. Many professionals in the field feel that any kind of sellng or promotion of lower quality jewelry is a complete disrespect to clients.

According to professional piercer A.J. Goldman who is the head piercer at 12 Oz. Studios in Southern New Jersey, BAF lowers prices so much on the high quality jewelry it sells, it makes it almost impossible for tattoo and piercing studios to compete. “Reptuable body piercing studios don’t have this luxury because we ACTUALLY care about your health and safety.” he says “… if they’re willing to sell you a piece of scrap metal that they call jewelry, they absolutely don’t care about you.”

Piercing and tattoo shops are local businesses. They need the support and foottrafic of the people in their communities in order to keep their doors open. These businesses also have a number of expenses like rent, elecrtic, water, and other bills, paying employees, buying the jewelry and tools to pierce with, sterilization equipment, etc. that these online retailers may not have. Online retailers can afford to cut costs where studios cannot.

Studios understand that not everyone wants to come in store for their jewelry needs and that some people live hours away from the nearest reputable shop. In response, custom orders are an option for almost anyone. Reputable body jewelry companies are wholesale which means a client looking to buy jewelry would need to order through their local studio. When a client does this, they have a number of options when it comes to color, gems and more for any kind of piercing made to their specifications. With online retailers, clients only have the option of previously made jewelry.

The following is a custom ordered set of threaded flower ends with 2 millimeter synthetic turquoise and yellow opal stones and beaded ends. All the metal is implant grade titanium anodized fuchsia and the jewelry is made by Anatometal.

Some reputable studios have also begun their own online stories in order to give clients a safer option. Infinite Body of Philadelphia, PA, Pangea Piercing of Ann Arbor, MI and Cold Steel America Piercing and Tattoo in San Fransico, CA all have their own online sectors. However, they all stress that coming into the shop if possible is the best option for the kind of personalized help clients will recieve.

How to become a professional – Apprenticeships

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12 Oz. Studios, A.J. Goldman, Adam Richins, Altered Bodies Documentary, apprenticeship, apprenticeships, blood borne pathogens, Body jewelry manufacturers, body modification, body piercing, Brian Decker, Brian Drops Piercing Studio, Comes a Time Tattoo, CPR, Fairfax, first aid, J.C. Potts, jef saunders, mateo way, Pangea Piercing, Percision Body Arts, piercing apprentice, Precision Body Arts, professional piercer, Pure Body Arts, Rockstar Body Piercing, Ryan Ouellette, scarification, self piercing, The Association of Professional Piercers, the fakir intensives, VA, Vaughn Body Arts

Becoming a professional piercer can be a difficult process but all professionals can agree that anyone who wants to become a professional now needs to apprentice under an already established piercer. An apprenticeship can last a number of years. J.C. Potts of Pangea Piercing for example has stated that every apprentice he has needs to train under him for two years and then work for him another two years.

There are many different ways professionals have gotten their apprenticeships. Adam Richins of Vaughn Body Arts stated he got his apprenticeship when he came in for a genital piercing to find out that the usual person who did his piercings had left and the shop owner offered to teach him. Tobias of Comes a Time Tattoo in Fairfax, VA said that he knew someone who knew someone in the industry and moved across the country.

A. J. Goldman of 12 Oz. Studios was interviewed for the Altered Bodies Documentary and spoke about apprenticeships:

The body piercing profession is not a glamorous one so if one is looking to join this industry planing on living a certain lifestyle, they may need to reconsider. There isn’t much pay and many piercers need to find ways to supplement their income within the industry. Some piercers such as Ryan Ouellette of Precision Body Arts and Brian Decker of Pure Body Arts both do scarification. This is a process of removing the top layers of skin in a way that will scar the skin and leaving an image behind. Others like J.C. Potts and Mateo Way who pierces out of Brain Drops Piercing Studio in San Francisco both make and sell their own jewelry. Way has even stated that he wouldn’t be able to afford to support his family without the additional income.

In addition, it is recommended that all professionals be certified in blood borne pathogens, CPR and first aid. The Fakir Intensives and classes available at the annual APP confrences are also recommended courses to take as many respected professionals have taken and teach the courses. Jef Saunders of Rockstar Body Piercing has written a letter to all “would-be body piercers” that is also a suggested read.

Do avoid any piercing schools or classes that are not offered by professionals in the industry are not proper methods for training.  Also, claiming to have experience from self piercing or piercing your friends WILL NOT get you a professional apprenticeship.